A mass protest of donors is to start in Mahiliou. Over 100 honorable donors of Belarus expressed their intension to launch a strike of protest against the benefits’ annulment.

’First, we shall go on a preventive strike’, Ihar Kavalenka, honorable donor of Belarus told the Polish Radio. ‘For a week we will not go to the regional blood transfusion center. If it does not give any results, we shall start an unlimited strike. We shall come to the transfusion center only when our blood is needed for children or in emergency cases.’

The protest was caused by annulment of the majority of benefits like 50 % discount on orthodontic services, 50 % discount on medicines, 40 % pension raise.

’People who regularly give their blood, sacrifice their life to a certain extent’, Mr.Kavalenka says indignantly. ‘For example, when giving off the plasma the body loses calcium and it results in teeth problems. That is why the discount on orthodontic services was not groundless.’

The honorable donors say that such cardinal form of protest was caused by hopelessness, as it’s the only way to attract the attention to their problems.

It is to be mentioned that 23 May the House of Representatives almost unanimously adopted the law on annulment of the major benefits, including benefits for students, pensioners, and the Chernobyl disaster liquidators. The only deputy who voted against was Volha Abramava. On 23 May the Council of the Republic approved the law. Nobody voted against.